Roland’s father, Franz, took over the business in the 1950s. He and Roland later steered it from making portable rides toward building permanent attractions for theme parks, which had been growing in popularity with the opening of Walt Disney’s namesake California project in 1955, followed six years later by the first Six Flags park in Texas.

“There’s a big hope we can stay family-owned for two more generations. Beyond that, it’s difficult to tell.”

Roland Mack

That decision resulted in an export boom for the Mack family’s ride-making business, which now makes everything from traditional tea-cup rides to roller coasters fitted with spinning carriages.

“It was an important step in our family history,” Mack said of the strategy shift.

Park’s origins

After repeated attempts to find a site in Germany, the family opened Europa-Park in 1975 in a fishing village on the Rhine River with only a few thousand residents at the time.

The decision was initially met with scepticism, but that evaporated after about 250,000 visitors arrived during its first season. The family has continued to expand Europa-Park, which now includes hotels built to resemble medieval castles, Italian piazzas and Portuguese monasteries.

They also spent more than €175 million ($294 million) building a Nordic-themed waterpark, which opened just before the pandemic began. With many lockdown measures lifted during summer months, the family’s theme parks avoided the worst financial hits from the crisis.

Annual visitors to Europa-Park roughly doubled over the past decade, fuelled largely by returning customers, according to documents seen by Bloomberg.

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“There is always something new,” Mack said. “People like to come back and see what’s going on.”

The Macks reinvest most of the proceeds from their amusement empire, leaving them with few debts. In a rare foray outside their main business, the family in 2020 bought one of France’s oldest vineyards — Chateau Ollwiller in Alsace — and its accompanying castle for an undisclosed amount. The vineyard’s produce is now for sale on Europa-Park’s website.

The Macks control their business empire through a trust-like structure for different branches of the family that helps pass on wealth and avoid a sudden break-up of their fortune.

‘More control’

In addition to Roland, eighth-generation members of the dynasty include his brother Juergen, 65, who has helped to lead Europa-Park for more than three decades. Their children are also involved in the business, overseeing divisions that include hotels, virtual reality and human resources, though members outside the family hold key positions as well.

Mack said his biggest dream is to see Europa-Park and its related businesses remain under family control for generations to come, but he’s realistic the dynasty may end at some point.

“There’s a big hope we can stay family-owned for two more generations,” he said. “Beyond that, it’s difficult to tell.”

Bloomberg